HIRAM, Ohio - September 3, 2021 – Under the bright lights of Charles A. Henry Field, Hiram Terriers football, in their first season under Head Coach Jack Mrozinski, topped the Bethany College Bison, 41-21, in their season opener on Friday.
 
After a slow start that saw the Terriers and Bison trade five punts in the first quarter, Hiram got things going in the second quarter. Following a Bison three-and-out, the Terriers put together a 12-play, 50-yard drive, capped off by Xavier Reyero's four-yard touchdown pass to Jairus Green, to take a 7-0 lead.
 
And after another Bison three-and-out, Reyero again found Green, this time over the middle for a 56-yard score to take a 14-0 lead.
 
Twice the Bison looked to answer in the second quarter, but Isaiah Davilla recorded one of his two interceptions on the day on the next drive, picking Dom Salinetro on second down.
 
Bethany got the ball back after a Terrier three-and-out, and drove into the red zone, looking to find paydirt. But Delanoe Harris picked off Salinetro's pass in the end zone with just under a minute left, giving Hiram a 14-0 lead headed into the locker room.
 
Hiram got the ball to start the third quarter, but couldn't get much going, before Bethany found the end zone for the first time on the day. After the Bison picked up a fourth-and-one, Salinetro found Brennan Secrist two plays later for a 57-yard score, cutting Hiram's lead to 14-7.
 
But the Terriers had an answer, as Reyero led the Terriers on an eight-play, 58-yard drive, finding Zion Paynther twice for big gains, before hitting Dexter Coleman for the 11-yard score to extend the lead back to two possessions.
 
Bethany again answered, this time with a 65-yard kick return by Devaughn McWhorter, and then a five-play, 33-yard drive, capped off by an 18-yard touchdown to McWhorter, to cut Hiram's lead down to seven.
 
Hiram though, again had an answer. The Terriers would score on each of their last six possessions, driving 50-yards over 11-plays to extend their lead to 24-14 on Chris Miller's 21-yard field goal.
 
And just a few plays later, Davilla picked Salinetro for the second time, setting Hiram up just outside the Bethany red zone.
 
The Terriers quickly took advantage, with three rushes by Malcolm Rogers, the last of which went for a two-yard score to extend the lead to 31-14.
Bethany put together one last scoring drive, marching 75-yards over 12 plays to cut Hiram's lead to 31-21 on Amos Porter's eight-yard rush, but again Hiram had an answer.
 
Chewing up almost five minutes of clock, Hiram drove down to the Bethany 19 on four-straight Tommy Dees rushes and a 14-yard pass to Anthony Sessi, setting up a 35-yard field goal from Miller to make it a 34-21 game.
 
And after the Terriers' defense forced a turnover on downs, sacking Salinetro twice on the drive, Rogers finished off the Terrier victory with five-straight rushes, the last of which plunged him into the end zone for a three-yard score.
 
With the win, the Terriers move to 1-0 on the season, while Bethany drops to 0-1. The Terriers' 41 points are the most they've scored since Nov. 3, 2018.
 
As a team, Hiram tallied 366 yards of offense, averaging just under 5.0 yards per play, forced four turnovers and held the Bison to just 1.3 yards per rush.
 
Offensively, Reyero completed 15 of his 29 attempts for 179 yards and three touchdowns, while Green led Hiram's receiving core with four receptions for 72 yards and two scores.
 
Coleman added a team-high five receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, while Xavier Irving led the Terriers with 56 rushing yards, and Rogers notched two scores.
 
For Bethany, Salinetro went 22-for-44 for 310 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions.
 
Defensively, JaByron Webb and Knowledge Wallace each notched a team-high eight tackles, while Nathan Hudson led the Terriers with 2.5 tackles for a loss and 2.0 sacks.
 
Davilla notched five tackles and a fumble recovery to his two interceptions, while Harris added seven tackles, one pass breakup and one tackle for a loss to his one INT.
 
Rondell Lewis had a game-high 18 tackles for Bethany.
 
Hiram football will look to keep rolling when they open North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 11 against Wabash College at 12:00 p.m. at Charles A. Henry Field.